�WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th August, 2023) The United States is monitoring reports about possible intervention in Niger by neighboring Nigeria over the ongoing military coup but reiterates its call for a diplomatic solution to the situation, a Defense Department spokesperson told Sputnik on Friday.
According to media reports, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu wrote a letter to his country's Senate asking its members to support a regional military intervention in Niger in response to the military coup.�
"We continue to monitor this fluid and evolving situation and reiterate our focus on a diplomatic solution," the spokesperson said when asked about the Pentagon's reaction to reports about Tinubu's efforts.
Nigeria now holds the rotating presidency of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Earlier on Friday, ECOWAS said that military intervention in Niger would be the last resort, but the organization must be ready for it. The ECOWAS delegation dispatched to Niger by Tinubu on Thursday left the country the next day without having the opportunity to meet with the rebels' leader.
On July 26, Niger's presidential guard ousted and detained President Mohamed Bazoum. The guard's commander, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, proclaimed himself interim leader and the president of the caretaker National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP).
Bazoum, in an op-ed published in the Washington Post on Thursday, said he has been taken hostage by the military coup in the country and called on the US and international community to help restore constitutional order in Niger.
Bazoum further said the military coup has no justification, and if it succeeds, it will have devastating consequences for Niger, the region, and the entire world.
